Author: Ron Baker

It’s that time of year!  When plans begin to take shape for the coming year.  I still work on the academic year – September through June, so the six month itch is beginning to manifest itself now.

This year I’m searching for a sense of direction for the church I’m working with, as well as for my wife and I as we complete our first year of being “empty-nesters.”  We see no reason to consider another venue.  As a matter of fact, there has been no lifting of the original sense that we should be here.

But how do we do and listen at the same time?

I’m reading and hearing from others who are in the same space.  We all know that God is there and is not silent.  But right now the clarity of His voice is just a little off frequency – prayer starts that tuning in process, other people add their signals and in the end the message will be clear.

Over the years I have seen this cycle repeated.  I know God will speak.  I know He will speak in His own time. 

But, I’d still like Him to hurry up so I can wait!

So, I’m surfing the web.  I put in Baker. 

Out comes a car sales dealership in Australia.  With some interesting videos!  Try out the “Taxi Driver”.

They take a while to load but are well done.  And they have the BAKER name attached!

Oh, and by the way.  I couldn’t get a website domain at ronbaker.com because another car salesperson had already snatched it up.

Amazing what you find on the web!!

24 hours!

Our son, Tim, arrived in Saskatoon Sunday morning at 12:52.  The flight was delayed 1 1/2 hours.  For the sake of being awake on the way home, I laid down on the airport seats.  Actually got a few minutes power nap.  No problem driving the two hours home!  But the 7:50 in the morning to get to church was a bit of a shove!

Tim wants to work with the “Cirque de Soliel” in Vegas.  Few theatre jobs are steady work with top quality production.  Cirque de Soliel is one of the few!  To experience their shows, Tim booked a flight to Vegas. 

From Edmonton.  

Monday. 

At 1:00 pm.

Somehow between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon, Tim needed to travel to Edmonton.  Alternatives were discussed: maybe a quick trip (4 1/2 hours one way) for us, or meet a friend 1/2 way, or just take the bus.

The bus won!   At 1:10 this morning (that’s just after midnight!) we put him on the bus.  He’ll be back, but tonight he’ll be seeing the bright lights of Vegas!

And hopefully I’ll be seeing no lights as I sleep!

This morning I was searching my computer for a file that I couldn’t quite place.  In the scheme of things, the file was for Sunday School and not one of those “State of the Nation” papers.

As I wandered through my files, I came across some essays I have written.  Just getting out of my system what’s in my system.

In April of 2003 I created 10 statements from my reading of Exodus and Deuteronomy.  Things like this:

Numbers 21– While out wandering —  Interestingly, in the 40 years in the desert, the people were not just wandering around. They actually took over cities, conquered people, and settled in. In the end, two of the tribes found that this land was great, so they petitioned Moses to stay. This became their inheritance.  — When we feel that we have been turned aside from a great victory (entering a promised land), we may still be involved in the continuation of the conquest as wander in the wilderness.

There were other files.  I have a story on Joshua – an older man who has new neighbours move in – with two adorable children.  The family is strangely Christian, unlike other Christians he has met before.  The story goes on from there — but right now it’s still not done!

At the same time as I’m looking over my files, my wife and I start discussing an article in the Times (of London, of course) on people changing how they spend their money, moving from possessions to experience (via). 

I started to stretch the thought.  Church people are affected by the “experience” culture we live in.  In one sense, people used to come to church for the product, the dogma, the theology that was the structure (possession) we wanted for our lives.  Unfortunately many people figured as long as they had the “possession”, they were home free!  No need for a church or the experience of working together as Christians. 

Now most people want to come to church for relationships (experience).  The journey is important and the “possessions” you pick up along the way are insignificant, not as important as the sense of an experience of God.  In fact, you can walk out of the mall of life without picking up any “possessions”, as long as you have a good life and identify with a group of people who are “like-minded”.

Which begs the question —  

Do experience and theology have to intersect for most people today?  Have we now moved to both a “churchless” faith, and a “contentless” faith?  Is that really any faith at all??